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Argent Networks Launches New Content Mediation Platform

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Argent Networks, a technology and telecommunications billing solutions company today announced that it was launching a new content mediation platform, ACMP, which will transform the way in which the world’s telecommunications carriers manage and generate revenues from a rapidly growing convergence of data on mobile and fixed networks.

Chris Jones, CEO of Argent Networks, says that ACMP was developed specifically to help the world’s major telecommunications carriers, many of whom are already the Company’s customers, better serve their customers by providing the additional services the market is demanding. “The beauty of Argent’s ACMP is that it is web-based using standard browsers so there are no additional deployment issues or costs. ACMP allows all subscriber services and activities, using however many different content providers and forms of data, to be instantly synthesised and made available to view in real- time through a single interface,” says Jones.

ACMP is a significant evolution in Argent’s product set. It provides a robust platform for delivery of content in real-time from content providers to subscribers. It can also integrate with Argent’s existing billing system ArgentEclipse for the billing of the provided content. This provides carriers with a single interface allowing a telecommunications carrier to deliver, rate and bill for provided content to their subscribers in real-time. [Read more…]

Argent Networks Enhances Revol Wireless Network with Advanced Billing Solution

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Argent Networks, a technology and telecommunications billing solutions company, announced today that it has signed a deal with Revol to supply its in>Bill™ solution. Revol, the main brand of Cleveland Unlimited, is an Ohio-based communications provider with a rapidly growing customer base using a high-quality, all-digital wireless CDMA network. Revol’s network has spread throughout Cleveland as well as Youngstown and Columbus Ohio as well as Indianapolis, Indiana.

Chris Jones, CEO of Argent Networks, says that in>Bill™ is an advanced, web-enabled solution that provides rich and detailed information about network usage for telecommunication carriers like Revol. “Argent’s in>Bill™ will enable Revol to carry out trend and traffic analysis across every part of its network for all content from any record source. In addition, in>Bill™ monitors traffic volume, types of activity and usage right down to individual events. Being able to quickly process and re-process event data records means Revol will be better placed to ensure accuracy of billing processes issues,” says Jones.

Tony McDowell, VP Engineering & Operations for Revol says that Argent’s in>Billâ„¢ solution was selected as the ideal platform as it provides several key advantages and features for the company’s network. [Read more…]

FROX Communication Joins the OSS through JavaT Initiative OSS/J

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FROX communication has joined the OSS through Java Initiative (OSS/J) to support the implementation of key OSS/J profiles. FROX communication is an independent software house focusing on the fields of service management, voice management, and system integration.

“With our longtime experience in system integration, we recognized the trend to standardization in the whole software industry very early,” says Andres Roethlisberger, Head of Engineering, FROX communication. “And it became clear to us that this will be extremely important especially for telecom companies, which is why FROX decided to be the first company in Switzerland to establish an OSS/J competence center.”

To reverse the growing complexity of OSS systems, service providers are pressing for options to proprietary, vendor-specific software solutions with pseudo de facto “standards” that limit technology choices. For this reason, increasing numbers of service providers have joined forces to support the TeleManagement Forum (TMF) New Generation OSS standard (NGOSS) of which OSS/J APIs and Design Guidelines are the first real-world implementation. OSS/J itself is an open and publicly available standard providing a proven approach which delivers significant benefits for all stakeholders along the value chain. [Read more…]

Comtrend Introduces a Telco-Grade Auto-Configuration Server for Standards Based TR-069 Management

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Comtrend Corporation has introduced their new Comtrend Auto-Configuration Server (ACS). The product will be officially unveiled during GlobalComm 2006, in Chicago June 4-8, exhibiter booth # 50088. This new Comtrend auto-configuration server provides automated provisioning, management and control of TR-069 compatible customer premise equipment.

Comtrend General Manager, Andrew Morton said, “The Comtrend ACS makes a self-install seem like magic to the consumer. Once the CPE links to the carrier’s network, everything automatically configures and the operator has complete control of the home user’s residential gateway. This product will greatly reduce maintenance costs associated with DSL deployments and significantly reduce truck-rolls. Unique to this market, the cost effective Comtrend ACS is a true Telco-Grade, OSS centric solution.”

The Comtrend ACS is designed to interface with all DSL Forum TR-069 compatible customer premise equipment (CPE) products. The Comtrend ACS will provide telecom service providers with abilities such as: remote CPE WAN Management, secure auto-configuration, dynamic service provisioning, remote firmware management, view status and performance monitoring. [Read more…]

TeleSciences and MetaSwitch Team to Enable Seamless Billing for Blended Multimedia Services in IMS Networks

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TeleSciences, a pioneer in Mediation systems and MetaSwitch(R), a leading vendor of next-generation carrier switching and applications solutions, today announced a partnership designed to ease the transition to multiservice converged networks based on the emerging IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) standard. Proven interoperability between the TeleSciences 600i Mediation Platform and MetaSwitch’s multimedia- enhanced telephony solutions enables operators of IMS networks to maximize revenues and increase customer satisfaction with accurate, blended billing across wireless, mobile and cable services.

“The ability to collect and correlate chargeable events from multiple network elements is a key aspect of the IMS architecture,” said Martin Taylor, MetaSwitch vice president of product management and technology strategy. “Our partnership with TeleSciences shows that we are responding to carriers’ needs to drive greater revenue from service innovations as they migrate to more flexible and distributed next-generation networks.”

With the introduction of multimedia-enhanced services in an IMS architecture, there is a need to acknowledge the additional sources of billing records, all of which require mediation before the records can be sent to the OSS/BSS. With its flexibility, the 600i brings the future needs of network data collection in focus. The 600i integrates easily with existing legacy networks yet fits in as a critical component of IMS networks. The 600i is capable of support for RADIUS and DIAMETER protocols, collection of SIP and QoS records and supports multiple security requirements including SSH2 and SFTP. Real-time capabilities push individual records to OSS downstream, and open APIs support today’s need for Prepaid and Interactive account control. [Read more…]

NTG Clarity Networks Provides PPL Telcom with Management Software

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NTG Clarity Networks Inc., (TSX VENTURE:NCI) a leader in delivering network, IT and infrastructure solutions, today announced that it will supply PPL Telcom, a regional facilities-based carrier offering transport services to carriers, ISPs and large enterprise customers, its integrated operations support system (OSS) software. The OSS will manage customer orders, network inventory, service provisioning and trouble ticketing.

“NTG is proud to add PPL Telcom to its list of customers,” said NTG Clarity CEO Ashraf Zaghloul. “NTG’s software solutions have been developed to meet the needs of next generation service providers and new wire and mobile carriers. Our software and services enable customers to achieve increased productivity, faster execution and innovative capability, making us an excellent fit with the new breed of telecom service provider.”

The latest version of NTG Clarity’s OSS product, NTS, utilizes the latest technology and provides an integrated suite of applications to enable customer information management, order management, network inventory maintenance, capacity management, service provisioning, service management, billing and customer relation management (CRM) and trouble ticketing. [Read more…]

Intec Billing Announces Unaudited Results for the Six Months Ended 31 March 2006

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Intec Telecom Systems PLC (“Intec” or “the Company”), a supplier of software solutions to the global telecoms industry, announces its unaudited results for the six months ended 31 March 2006 (“H1 2006”), prepared under IFRS1. The company has demonstrated excellent organic growth resulting from solid trading across all aspects of the business, as well as good cash generation. Increased momentum, in both new business wins and sales into our existing customer base, particularly with multi-product deals, has been a feature of the period. Intec has maintained its policy of investing in both products and delivery capability to meet demand, resulting in a solid earnings performance. [Read more…]

BSG Clearing Solutions to Manage Mobile Call Volume During 2006 FIFA World Cup

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BSG Clearing Solutions GmbH (BSG), the communications service industry’s clearing and settlement provider, today announced its systems are well prepared to deal with the heavy increase in capacity for roaming clearing that will result from the growth in mobile call volume during the weeks of the 2006 FIFA World Cup.

“This will be the biggest sporting event in the world and mobile communications will have an unprecedented role in spectator enjoyment this year,” said Roland J. Bopp, CEO of BSG. “As the exclusive roaming partner for virtually all wireless operators in Germany, BSG will be on hand to ensure there are no ‘own goals’ behind the scenes.”

An estimated 5 million fans from all continents around the globe, supporting the 32 nationalities taking part, are expected to visit Germany during the four-week World Cup competition. Mobile phones will be used to relay messages, download content, send pictures and texts to friends and family, as well as to record goals and highlights. Companies are already promoting World Cup related content, such as player photos, historic video clips, ring tones and games, and operators are expecting intense traffic volumes in largely unpredictable spikes. [Read more…]

Allround Short-listed as Finalist for World Billing Awards 2006 in Best Revenue Assurance/Management Project Category

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The joint application of Magyar Telekom’s T-Com business line and Allround has been short-listed as Finalist for the World Billing Awards 2006 in the Best Revenue Assurance/Management Project category. The common project is an excellent example of proven billing accuracy, targeting efficient revenue assurance and legal compliance at the same time. The winners will be announced at the Billing and Information Management Systems 2006 Gala Dinner in London, on 8th June 2006.

László Harsányi, Director at Billing and CRM Directorate of T-Com stated: “it is our pleasure that the successful project with Allround was short-listed as finalist for the prestigious World Billing Awards. This nomination acknowledges the innovative ideas and the strong co-operation between the two companies to customize and implement this new methodology.“

The methodology behind this revenue assurance project was stability testing – time-based regression testing – which is a focused, efficient and cost-effective method to ensure that the tested system preserves its quality level over time. The backbone of this methodology is Allround’s flagship product – CeDaR. CeDaR introduces high-level of automation and the improvement of testing efficiency and meets the highest quality standards as the world’s first billing system testing solution attested by the British Approvals Board for Telecommunications (BABT). [Read more…]

Research and Markets Adds Fast Dynamics of Japanese Telecom Market to Offering

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According to Research and Markets, the Japanese telecom market faces fiercer competition and a broadened spectrum of services–and the market will experience even faster convergence with other industries. Research and Markets (http://www.researchandmarkets.com/reports/c37504) has announced the addition of Fast Dynamics of Japanese Telecom Market to their offering.

In the report, the author identified ten most noticeable topics of Japanese mobile communication market, which is leading mobile convergence in the world. For that, the author analyzed the emerging trends in policies, players, technologies and services. As the leader of the mobile industry, Japanese market will serve as an indicator to help all mobile service providers and related companies around the world to predict future directions of the industry. [Read more…]

Comverse Completes Acquisition of Netcentrex SA

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Comverse Technology, Inc. (NASDAQ: CMVT), has announced that its subsidiary, Comverse Ltd., completed its acquisition of privately-held Netcentrex S.A., for approximately $159 million in cash, subject to certain post-closing adjustments and a contingent earn out of up to $16 million based upon achievement of certain financial targets by the Netcentrex business.

The combination of Netcentrex, a leader in network-based software enabling IP-based voice-video-data (“triple-play”) and FMC (fixed-mobile convergence) solutions, with Comverse’s portfolio of value-added services and billing solutions, is expected to benefit operators deploying services in the VoIP (Voice-over-Internet Protocol) and IMS (IP Multimedia Subsystem) domains. [Read more…]

GPTC Selects Telarix iXTools to Manage Interconnect Business

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Telarix™, a leading provider of Interconnect Business Optimization (IBO) and settlement solutions for content providers, IP service providers and global fixed and mobile operators, today announced that General Post and Telecommunications Company (GPTC), the main telecom operator in Libya, has selected Telarix’s iXTools™ as part of a strategic effort to expand its international carrier business and enhance the overall performance of its interconnect systems. The contract also marks Telarix’s expansion into Africa and the Middle East and solidifies the company’s position as the market leader among providers of interconnect business optimization and settlement solutions to the international telecommunications industry.

“GPTC has an ambitious plan to play a major and strategic role in the voice termination market worldwide and specifically in the Pan-African area,” said Kamal Farhat, Director of International Carrier Business at GPTC.

GPTC will leverage Telarix’s next generation routing optimization solutions, iXRoute™
and iXTranslateâ„¢, to further streamline and automate the carrier’s routing processes. These solutions eliminate the limitations associated with legacy Least Cost Routing (LCR) products by allowing carriers to define business and network requirements to financially optimize their network routing. [Read more…]

Intec CEMS Wins Best New Product Award at Billing and OSS World

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Intec Centralized Error Management System (Intec CEMS) was named “Best New Product” by US-based TeleStrategies as part of the Billing & OSS World 2006 Excellence Awards, which recognise the best vendors in the billing and operations support system ( OSS ) segment of the telecommunications industry.

Ed Finegold, Billing World & OSS Today editor-in-chief, said, “There were more than 100 submissions for the Excellence Awards this year. Intec CEMS was chosen to win the award for best new product due to its practicality for all types of carriers and its ability to impact and improve the bottom line, particularly for carriers undergoing significant change and consolidation with their large IT environments.”

This new product from Intec, which is already in volume production at a major US carrier, has also been shortlisted for two awards at the forthcoming World Billing Awards in London , June 8. Using Intec CEMS, service providers can cut revenue losses by dramatically reducing error volumes, lowering the costs of managing errors, and recovering revenue from unbilled usage and service order errors. Intec has also been shortlisted for a third World Billing Award for its mediation solution under “Best Billing Implementation”. [Read more…]

Openet Appoints Apollo Guy as Vice President of Sales for Americas

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Openet Telecom, a world leader in real-time charging, advanced mediation, and network-edge rating, today announced that Apollo Guy has been appointed Vice President of Sales for the Americas. Apollo is responsible for sales of Openet’s product and professional services, both direct and indirect, in North America, Central America and Latin America.

“I am excited in joining Openet at the cusp of IMS taking hold. Openet’s product suite provides proven and scalable solutions in a marketplace that is fast converging”, commented Guy. “Openet is playing a leadership position in changing the old commodity role of rating, charging, and mediation in the evolving communications sector, and redefining the concept of real-time performance”, added Guy.

Apollo joins Openet from CSG Systems, which acquired Telution, where he served as Vice President and General Manager, Broadband and Telco Business Unit. Prior to that, Apollo was Vice President of Marketing and Business Development at Lemur Networks. Apollo has over 20 years experience in the Telecommunications and Cable industries focused on finance, sales, marketing, business development and technologies, working for Rogers Cablesystems, Bell Canada, and Futureway Communications. [Read more…]

Berg Insight: Shipments of Handset Based Personal Navigation to Reach 12 Million by 2009

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A new research report from the analysis firm Berg Insight forecasts that shipments of handset based personal navigation solutions in Europe and the US will reach 12 million units by 2009. The year 2005 marked the first successful marriage of cellular and navigation technologies, resulting in shipments of around 1 million on-board and off-board systems, mainly in the fourth quarter. Supported by the phenomenal growth recorded in the PND segment, handset based personal navigation solutions are expected to grow by 86 percent year-on-year. [Read more…]

Vmobile Selects Allround’s Roaming Management System

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Allround, a leading supplier in the global roaming market is pleased to announce another major client of its Roaming Management system – Vee Networks Limited, trading as Vmobile Nigeria, one of the fastest growing operators in the country. In this highly competitive market Allround’s uniquely competitive price structure and close operator cooperation were vital to winning the tender.

“The tender was awarded to Allround based on the company’s reputation, high quality software, competitive pricing and many implementations both in the region and globally. Vendors had to demonstrate excellence in all categories, including system functionality, scalability, implementation and support. The awarding of the tender demonstrates Allround’s ability to excel in all these areas,” says Ayodele Adeboye, Vmobile’s Chief Billing Officer.

Nigeria represents a new addition to the expanding list of African countries, where Allround’s highly reliable TAP Solution allows Vmobile to introduce new services quickly to the market to get ahead of its competitors. It enables the management of all roaming aspects with unlimited operator connections and ensures Vmobile is always “TAP-to-date”. [Read more…]

telSPACE Selects Smartpath Solution by Trilibis Mobile

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telSPACE , an innovative provider of multi-service billing, rating, and customer care software solutions for the MVNO industry, today announced its selection of the SmartPathTM solution by Trilibis Mobile. This choice will accelerate telSPACE’s plan to offer data services that will dramatically enhance the customer’s experience with their mobile phones. These applications will work hand in hand with its data strategy launch powered by Wireless Services Corporation.

Paris Holt, telSPACE’s Chief Executive says, “The final piece to the puzzle has been put in place and we have now started development on what we believe will be the most comprehensive suite of cellular phone applications ever assembled. Each of our 27 MVNO clients will be able to customize this phone based application to fit their exact target demographic. Our goal is to revolutionize the way our MVNOs are positioned in the marketplace and provide customers with so much more functionality and utility than they have today.”

telSPACE has created a system that allows any company to add communications to their product line and become an MVNO (Mobile Virtual Network Operator). The system comprises a comprehensive back office network, including all operations functions such as customer activation, carrier procurement, fulfillment, billing and rating, MIS reporting, customer service and soon data all integrated into one ubiquitous operating platform. telSPACE effectively uses the internet to automate the complex customer acquisition process, thereby allowing its clients to instantly penetrate new markets or expand service offerings. [Read more…]

Azure Solutions Nominated for World Billing Awards 2006

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Azure Solutions, the revenue assurance company, has been named as a finalist in three categories for the World Billing Awards 2006. The categories that Azure has been short-listed for are: ‘Overall Best Contribution to Billing’, ‘Most Innovative Billing Product’ and ‘Best Revenue Assurance/ Management Project’.

Azure’s Certo 2 product, the latest version of its automated revenue assurance solution, was nominated as a finalist in the ‘Most Innovative Billing Product’ category. Certo 2 helps operators detect, analyse and correct revenue-leakage problems in real-time and has already been implemented by several customers since its launch in January 2006. [Read more…]

COSMOTE Romania Upgrades Billing System with LHS BSCS 8

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LHS, a provider for telecommunications and billing software, announces that mobile operator COSMOTE Romania, member of the COSMOTE Group, selected LHS’ billing and customer care BSCS 8 system to replace its previous legacy system, on the basis of its proven marketing and pricing capabilities. The new billing system was installed to support COSMOTE Romania’s dynamic growth plans.

Christos Christopoulos, COSMOTE Romania IT Director stated: “COSMOTE is pleased to once again collaborate with LHS for the BSCS brand, which has a track record of excellent performance and proven reliability. Through LHS’ software, COSMOTE Romania is able to effectively implement promotional campaigns and promote its services to all its prepaid and postpaid customers”.

COSMOTE Romania, member of the COSMOTE Group, began commercial operations in December 2005 with the aim to make mobile telephony accessible to all. To this end, the company continuously expands its advanced products and services portfolio, introducing new voice, data and content value added services. [Read more…]

Filed Under: LHS